


A second chance

by Knew_at_This



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Trauma, Prison, Protective Robert, Protective Siblings, Relationship Problems, Therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26704216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knew_at_This/pseuds/Knew_at_This
Summary: This is me salvaging the robron story line because the Emmerdale writers really did them dirty. The premise is that Robert gets released from prison after only 2.5ish years because he was injured and able to file a malpractice/wrongful injury/criminal neglect lawsuit and argue that his injury was punishment enough or something. He moves in with Vic because he has nowhere else to go and is still recovering.Rn it looks like it’s going to be an angsty slow burn until they find their way back to each other, but let’s see how this goes.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden, Robron - Relationship
Comments: 9
Kudos: 129





	1. Something’s up with Robert

**Author's Note:**

> Looking at what I’ve written so far, I’ve realized that most of it is dialogue. I’ll try and do better, but this is one of my first fics and I know it’s not going to be as eloquent as I’d like. I really just want to get this story written down and out of my head, so try and ignore the poor quality of writing and just enjoy the story of it. 🥴

“Marlon, I ordered a curry half an hour ago! What’s the hold up?” Aaron asked, exasperatedly.  
“Vic called out of work today for a “family emergency” so I’ve been on all day with no help!” Marlon responded, flustered. “If you want your food quicker come help out behind the bar!”  
“Alright, alright!” Aaron said and stepped behind the bar to help.  
“Is Harry okay?” Aaron asked.  
“What? Yeah, Diane’s lookin after him. That’s why Im on my own back here”  
“What’s the family emergency then?”  
“She didn’t really say now did she?” Said Marlon annoyed.  
Before Aaron could continue his interrogation a couple walked in and ordered drinks and Marlon slipped back into the kitchen.  
If Harry and Diane were alright, that really only left 3 people this family emergency could be about. It could be Doug, but if Diane was with Harry that didn’t seem likely. It could also be Andy, but no one had heard from him since he went on the run, so that didn’t seem very likely either. That meant it was probably Robert, which would explain why she was gone all day. The prison was a 4 hour drive there and a 4 hour drive back.  
Aaron hadn’t spoken to Robert since their divorce had been finalized almost 2 years ago now. He had stopped counting the days since their last conversation after 54 days, but he could probably still calculate it down to the minute if he sat down and did the math.  
Vic and Aaron had been friends before Robert had moved back to emmerdale and they were still friends now that he had left. Only now Vic was more guarded when it came to talking about Robert because she knew it was still a sore spot for Aaron, just as it was for her. They both missed Robert desperately, except Robert had cut ties with Aaron and not Vic. Aaron knew logically why it had to be that way. Having a brother in jail didn’t really put your whole life on hold like having a husband in jail did.  
That’s why Aaron felt weird asking after Robert. They were divorced now, so technically he had no business worrying about him. But at the same time, Vic and Diane and his own family understood the circumstances of their divorce and that his marital status didn’t exactly reflect what was in his heart. He didn’t like the looks of pity he got whenever the conversation turned towards Robert in his presence. That’s why Aaron decided he wasn’t going to go looking for Vic when she returned. If he ran into her though, it would be rude not to ask if the “family emergency” turned out okay. It was a small town and they were mates after all.


	2. Caught in a lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron gets the story out of Vic.

The next day Aaron dropped by the Woolpack for some breakfast before work.  
“Hey Vic, can I get a bacon sandwich?”  
“Sure thing Aaron”  
A few minutes later Vic comes out with his sandwich just as Marlon is hurrying in.  
“Oh hey Aaron, thanks for helping out behind the bar yesterday!” Marlon said as he heads past Vic into the kitchen.  
“Yeah no problem mate”  
Vic was setting up behind the bar, getting ready for the day. And she was managing to completely avoid eye contact with Aaron.  
“Everything alright Vic? Marlon mentioned you had a family emergency”  
“Oh yeah, everything’s fine!” Vic said, her voice a bit higher and more sing-song than usual.  
“I’m glad to hear it,” Aaron added, “you know I’m happy to look after Harry if you every need someone in a pinch”  
“Oh that’s very kind,” Vic was still avoiding eye contact, “Poor boy, he had such a fever yesterday, I had to take him to the pediatrician”  
“Oh no, is he alright?”  
“Yeah, the doctors have Him something and he cooled right down!”  
Aaron was the only customer in the Woolpack this early and his mom and Charity hadn’t come down yet. Aaron decided to stopped beating around the bush as Vic clearly wasn’t about to offer up the truth.  
“Vic, I know Harry wasn’t the family emergency. Did something come up with Robert?”  
“I don’t know what you’re on about!”  
Vic said defiantly.  
“Come on Vic, I know somethings up!” Aaron added, “I just want to know he’s alright.”  
Vic sighed, “he’ll be fine, don’t worry”  
“He’ll be fine?” Aaron asked, concerned now, “as in he’s not fine currently?”  
“I said he’ll be fine,” Vic said sternly.  
“Vic, what happened? Why is he not fine right now?” Aaron was getting more anxious the more Vic avoided his questions.  
“Look, Robert didn’t want me saying anything to anyone because he didn’t want you to worry!” Vic pointed at Aaron for emphasis, “and he didn’t want the whole village nosin in as usual!”  
“I’m not a gossip, and if Robert just doesn’t want me to worry, then you might as well tell me what’s going on because I’m just going to worry even more if you don’t!”  
“Fine, but that means no Chas, no liv, no Paddy! Diane and I are the only ones who know and it better stay that way!”  
“Got it! Not a word!”  
“Robert wasn’t much for details when I went to visit yesterday, but from what I gathered, there was a prison riot in the yard 3 day’s ago and Robert broke his leg pretty bad. Like snapped in two, poking out through the skin bad.”  
“Is he in hospital then? Could I go and visit him?” Vic could see the wheels turning behind Aaron’s eyes, already planning what he would say to his ex husband.  
“No, he was in the prison infirmary when I visited him, they’re waiting to see if he’ll need surgery. If he does he’ll be taken to hospital. And...well, you’re still not on his list of allowed visitors” (author’s note: idk if that’s really a thing, but for the purpose of this story just go with it)  
“Right, yeah.”  
At that Vic went back to setting up behind the bar. Aaron sat looking at his half eaten sandwich for a few moments, then got up and left, suddenly not hungry.


	3. What happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can’t tell, I’m not British, so my description of the prison is probably somewhat inaccurate as it is based on my knowledge of the US prison system and what I gleaned about the UK prison system from watching Emmerdale. Also, if the dialogue or slang seems off it’s cuz I’m not British and don’t know their slang except from Emmerdale and Harry Potter.

Robert was really getting sick of the prison infirmary. After spending three weeks in here during the pandemic, the last thing he wanted was to be back. But it wasn’t like he had much of a choice, his bone had literally poked out of his leg. The pain had eased since the painkillers they gave him had started to kick in, but it had been excruciating. He was walking in from the prison yard when a fight broke out behind him. Jason had tripped and fell into Amos; Amos didn’t care it was an accident. Well, either that, or he didn’t wait long enough to to find out.   
There are exactly 2 steps up out of the yard and into the prison barracks, and Amos managed to shove Jason right into him, making him fall and landing on his calf in just the right way to snap his leg on the stairs.  
The sight of his bone poking through his leg was truly nauseating. It was shocking enough and his cry of pain loud enough to distract Jason and Amos from their row.

That was yesterday evening and he had hardly gotten any sleep last night as a result. The medic in charge of the prisons small infirmary had managed to get his bone back inside his leg and stop the bleeding, but a real doctor couldn’t be called in till this morning. That also meant that Robert hadn’t had anything stronger than paracetamol until this morning as the infirmary didn’t stock narcotics. The irony of the whole thing was that there were at least two inmates, probably more, he could have gone to for drugs the level of prescription strength pain relief had he not been sent to the infirmary.   
If this had happened a year ago, it would have earned him at least two nights of relative comfort at a real hospital, but protocols had changed since the pandemic. Visitations were strictly limited as were the people authorized in and out of the prison, including medical professionals and ill or injured inmates. So Robert had spent the night with nothing but paracetamol and searing pain to drag him in and out of feverish dreams.  
The one silver lining of this whole ordeal was that he got to see Vic today. She was his emergency contact so she would be able to visit him in the infirmary as long as she stay at least six feet away and wear a surgical mask. 

Because of the post pandemic restrictions on visitation, this would be the first time he had seen her in over a month. Visits were now limited to one person at a time every 3-4 weeks and Diane had gotten last visit.

The doctor came in around 9:30, checked out Robert’s leg and prescribed him some pain medication and gave him some he had on hand.   
When Vic arrived, she spent time talking to the doctor doing her best to understand the situation. By that time though the pain medication had kicked in and Robert was chilling just fine on his own.   
“Long time no see! How are you feeling?” Vic asked, bringing Robert out of a trance.   
“Yeah, fine. A lot better now that I’m on drugs.” Robert added in a stage whisper with a finger in front of his mouth in shushing motion, “don’t tell the guards!”  
“I wouldn’t dream of it!” Replied Vic, already aware he’d be kind of out of it.  
“How’re things in Emmerdale? How’s Harry?”   
“Harry’s doing well! He’s already running around the house, crawling all over things. I had to put child locks on all the drawers and cupboards below my waste!”  
“Sounds just like his mum”  
“Reckon he has my nose too!”   
“Do you have a photo?”  
“Of course! One sec-“ Vic said, pulling some up on her phone.  
“Aww, he’s adorable.” Robert added, “I’m so happy for you Vic, I really am!”  
“And how’s Liv, and her brother?” Robert was trying to ask as nonchalantly as possible, but it was obvious the pain medication was affecting the coherency of his thoughts as he was the opposite of subtle.   
But Vic tolerated him. She could tell he missed Aaron and Liv both and the drugs weren’t helping; he had always been a sad drunk.  
“They’re both doing well. The scrapyard is looking good and Liv doing well in school”  
“And has Aaron...found anyone?” Robert asked, looking at his hands as he picked at his nails.  
“He’s gone on a few dates, but I don’t think there’s anything serious. He hasn’t brought anyone round to the woolpack yet at least” Vic may have undersold the situation a little bit, but Robert looked so sad and vulnerable lying in bed with his leg all bandaged up.  
Vic spent almost the whole day there and it was nice to see hear and talk to again after so long. Vic left around 4 as she had to get back to Harry and she hadn’t eaten all day.


	4. Callously careless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Montage sequence of how Robert's broken leg devolves into something much, much worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter details the misconduct and ineptitude that ultimately leads to Robert losing a leg, so it might be gross for some reader as it deals with infection and stuff. There also might be medical inaccuracies or inaccuracies in the descriptions of bureaucracy as my knowledge of all that is very basic.

When the doctor had come by the first time, he assessed Robert's injury and the treatment that had been provided. Upon assessment, Dr. Williams decided that Robert had received adequate treatment and would not require a hospital visit unless complications arose. Robert was given crutches and his pain medication was given to the proper authority with instructions on the frequency and conditions under which he was supposed to take it. He was then taken back to his cell.  
When Robert started to complain of tingling and then numbness in his injured foot, the guards ignored his requests to see Dr. Williams once more. They thought he was trying to get more drugs as his prescription was much higher end than the stuff sometimes caught being smuggled into the prison and would fetch him a fair price. He did not request more drugs at any time, nor did he request his next dose early. Only when his foot turned and stayed purple as well as cold to the touch, even though he himself was slightly feverish, did the guards take him to the infirmary and contact Dr. Williams. They described the problem to Dr. Williams over the phone and he asked Robert for his symptoms. Robert was then promptly helped into a prison transport van and rushed to hospital as Dr. Williams informed them they did not have time for an ambulance. By this time his fever had gotten worse and he was no longer able to stand, even with the aid of crutches. None of the prison staff attempted to inform Robert's emergency contact.  
Due to the severity of the incident, a formal report was required of each of the guards and any staff involved. Although 6 reports were filed, they barely varied by more than a few words.  
INCIDENT REPORT  
INMATES INVOLVED:  
ID 7431 NAME: Sugden, Robert J.  
DESCRIPTION: The inmate made a vague complaint of discomfort, in what appeared by all accounts to be an attempt to acquire narcotics for barter. He was taken to the infirmary and upon careful inspection, it was decided his injured foot qualified for further medical assessment and his doctor was called. At the doctor's recommendation he was transported to hospital.

None of the formal reports mentioned the number of times he complained or his rapid physical deterioration. None of his medical history was requested by or provided to Dr. Williams or any of the hospital staff.  
\----------------------  
When the prison van arrived at the hospital, Robert was rushed into surgery. His broken leg had been set improperly and it was cutting of blood flow to his foot, turning it purple. When Dr. Williams checked for a pulse in his foot, there wasn't one. The surgery lasted 12 hours. Robert was transferred to the ICU until his foot returned to it's proper color and the anesthesia wore off. 

Only it never returned to it's proper color. When Robert awoke after surgery, the part of his foot he could see sticking out of his new cast was no longer such an alarming shade of purple, but it wasn't a healthy shade yet either. Dr. Williams assured him that it just needed more time and they were monitoring it closely. Had Robert not been on such strong drugs, he would have doubted Dr. Williams' assurance considering the ordeal he had just gone through, but Robert was exhausted and the drugs kept him from thinking straight. After another full day with no improvement to his foot, Dr. Williams instructed a med student to remove Robert's cast so he could better examine the leg.  
With the cast removed, it was obvious that the incision was infected. During the surgery, Dr. Williams had decided to go in through the existing wound so as to keep the scaring to a minimum. There were two major problems with this decision:  
The "incision" was actually just the hole the bone had torn through Robert's skin when it broke because the only person that treated Robert before his surgery was the prison medic, who was barely qualified to perform sutures, let alone cut into a man. The second was that at no point in time, at the infirmary or the hospital, had the wound been properly cleaned. The prison medic had poured some 5-year old hydrogen peroxide on it, but nothing else. When Dr. Williams operated on Robert's leg using that same cut without cleaning it or checking for infection, he had unwittingly spread the pathogen to every tissue he cut into, effectively infecting a significant portion of his mid-calf.  
Dr. Williams prescribed a strong dose of IV antibiotics and IV antivirals and once again waited for improvement. Robert, now too feverish and ill and drugged up to understand any of the medical advice or updates did not, could not, object or request a different doctor or second opinion. By now Robert had been 3 days in hospital and his emergency contact had not been notified.  
By his fourth day in hospital, it was obvious that the antibiotics and antivirals were not working. The infection had subsided slightly at first, but by the end of the day it was clear the infection was only spreading.  
Dr. Williams' supervisor, Dr. Simmons, was called in and it was decided that the best course of action was to amputate before the infection spread past the knee. On his fifth day in hospital, Robert's emergency contact was notified of his condition. Due to the urgency of Robert's condition, Vic had to give official consent to the operation over the phone. The phone call had lasted only 5 minutes. When they got into surgery, they found that the infection had spread farther than they had thought; they could not save the knee.  
On his sixth day in hospital, Robert Jacob Sugden woke up as an amputee.  
On his seventh day in hospital he got to see his sister.


	5. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Vic try to piece together what went wrong.

When Robert woke yesterday, he had been disoriented. The nurse had paged Dr. Williams, but by the time he got there Robert had already noticed that ent the foot of his bed, where there should have been 2 lumps where his feet were, there was only the one. When Dr. Williams finally arrived, Robert was moving his left leg around under the covers trying to gage how much of it there was left. Still in slight disbelief, he hadn’t lifted the covers to check for himself, some part of him hoping that this was the drugs or some sort of cruel joke.  
“Ah, Robert, glad to see you with us again” Dr. Williams said.  
“What happened? What have you done with my foot?” Said Robert in a mix of panic and anger.  
“I am so sorry, Robert, but we could not stop the infection spreading. We tried to apúrate before it spread past your knee, but when we go into surgery we found that it had progressed much farther and faster than we had anticipated. We could not save your knee.”  
“You didn’t remove the infection though, you removed my leg!”  
“I know these things are difficult to come to terms with, but it’s really best if you focus all your energy on recovering right now”  
“Tomorrow morning, she’ll be allowed to visit for an hour”  
Robert nodded and closed his eyes to indicate he was done talking and wanted to rest now. Thankfully Dr Williams obliged him.  
Vic arrive the next morning at 10 with arms full of books and magazines. There was a small scene outside his room as the prison guard checked each one and her purse for contraband, but after nearly ten minutes she got in.  
“I brought you a few things to read.” Vic said, worried and uncertain.  
“A few things? You brought me library!” Robert joked, trying to make his sister smile. It almost worked.  
“I wanted to do more, but I could think of anything else.”  
“Seeing you again is enough to make my whole week!” Robert assured her adding, “and this library’ll keep me busy till my leg grows back”  
Robert was pleased to see that his joke made Vic crack a halfhearted smile.  
“Robert, what happened? The last I heard it wasn’t bad, they were still monitoring the situation!”  
“I’m not sure Vic, it’s all a bit of a haze” Robert added, trying to remember himself, “after you left they sent me back to my cell on crutches and everything was fine. But my foot started hurting, then tingling, then just went numb. I tried to tell the guards, but they all thought I was lying—trying to get drugs or something. My foot turned like, dark purple and they realized I wasn’t making it up. That’s where my memory gets foggy, I think they had me on lots of drugs at that point. They thought they fixed my leg, but it still wasn’t the right color—it wasn’t purple anymore, it was like a greyish red. They said it was infected and they put me on a bunch of IVs but I guess that didn’t work? When I woke up yesterday my leg was gone.”  
Vic was chewing on her lip, trying to sort understand the timeline of things.  
“I’m glad they finally let you visit”  
“Robert, no one even told me you were in hospital until the day before last!” Vic said, “they only called me because they needed official consent to amputate! I was so worried Robert! The last I heard you were fine, didn’t even need hospital, and then they were calling me up telling me there was no time for questions, you left was infected and they needed to amputate before it killed yah!”  
Tears were streaming down Vic’s face by the end.  
“Vic it’s okay! I’m fine now, you did the right thing!” Robert hated seeing Vic cry and he hated being the cause of her tears even more.  
Once Robert finally got Vic to stop crying and start smiling, he turned the subject to some thing lighter.  
“So, what books did you bring me?” Vic went through them one by one like it was an unboxing video. She gave a synopsis of each book and explained why she thought Robert would like it or why she thought he should read it.  
Towards the end of their hour together Robert brought up what he’d be considering in his few lucid moments since he got to the hospital.  
“Vic, I think I want to talk to a lawyer and see if there are grounds for an appeal or a malpractice case or something. If I gave you their information, do you think you could go in and explain the situation? You know, see if they think there’s a case at all?”  
“Of course, Robert! What’s their information?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know where I want this story to end up, but I have no plan for how to get it there, so if anyone has suggestions for a chapter I’d love to hear them.


	6. In the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron tries to sus out what's going on with Robert without seeming too desperate for Robert.

"Hey Marlon! Vic leave you on your own again?" Aaron inquired.  
"Who?" Marlon said, making a face that said, "what do you think?"  
"I'll take a pint" Aaron told Charity  
This was the 5th time in half as many weeks that Vic has been absent from her usual schedule at the Woolpack. Normally, Aaron would never be so nosy, but after everything that Vic has gone through with Adam and Lee, and especially now with what's happened to Robert, Aaron has been keeping tabs on her. Yes, he was worried about Robert, but Vic was still his friend independent of his relationship with Robert and he wAs genuinely worried about her. It was a lot to be a single mom and the next of kin of an injured inmate.   
When Vic was absent from work the next day as well, Aaron almost called her to see what was going on. He wanted to talk to Paddy or his mom about the whole thing, but true to his word, Aaron said nothing to either of them. So when Aaron just happened to be passing her house on the way home from work that evening (Vic's house was not on the path from the scrapyard to the Mill) just as Vic was pulling into her drive way, Aaron stopped to see how everything was going.   
"Hey Vic! You've been taking a lot of time off work, everything alright?" Aaron asked, as nonchalantly as possible.  
"Yeah, everything's fine! If you give me hand I'll fill you in on everything that's going on!" Vic said, in an especially good mood.  
"Sure!" Aaron said, grabbing a box out of the trunk of the car and following her inside.  
"Hey Diane!" Vic stage whispered as she walked into the house, careful not to wake Harry.   
"Hello dear! How's Robert doing? How'd the meeting go?" Diane said as she walked into the front room.  
"He's doing pretty well, all things considered! That's actually what I wanted to talk to you both about. Let me put on a cuppa and we can all sit down and have a chat!" Vic added, "Oh Aaron, can you just put that on the kitchen table?"  
"Sure thing Vic"  
Vic joined them both at the table once the tea was on.  
"So, first I should get Aaron up to speed." Vic said, suddenly serious, " You remember almost two weeks ago when I went to visit Robert and he'd broken his leg?"  
"Yeah, is he doing alright?"  
"Yes, and no. A few days after I visited him, I got a call from Holby City saying his leg had gotten infected and they needed to amputate and they needed my consent as his emergency contact and next of kin as Robert was in no state to understand what was going on."  
"WHat?" Aaron said in disbelief.  
" I gave the doctors consent and they amputated"  
"Hold on--how did he go from a broken leg to an amputation? I don't understand."  
"That's the thing--neither did I, or Robert! When I went to visit him the next day, we both went over what happened and we realized that there was some majorly shady business going on. Robert gave me the information of a solicitor he had met back when he was a big shot at Home Farms and I met with him later that week." Vic said, pulling the box in front of her.   
"I've been running back and forth between the hospital and the law offices hunting down medical records and prison reports for this solicitor of Robert's, and he's finally determined that Robert has a half decent case and he's willing to represent him!"  
"An appeal?" Aaron said, almost shouting in excitement and disbelief.  
"MAybe." Vic added very clearly, "The solicitor is confident that Robert is in a very good place for a medical malpractice suit, but, he also thinks that he MIGHT be able to get Robert out on an appeal."  
Vic was speaking with her hands, clearly trying to downplay her own excitement so as not to get their hopes up.  
Aaron had his face in his hands, looking at Vic in awed disbelief.  
"Robert didn't want anyone but me and Diane knowing about this, Aaron, but I'm telling you now because his solicitor says that if he really wants his appeal to stand a chance, Robert is going to need some magnificent character witnesses, not just his sister and step mom. So I thought, seeing as you two are technically ex-husbands and all...it might look good for him if someone who's not suppOSEd to see him in the best light has nothing but good to say about him?" Vic said, up-talking her suggestion into a question.   
"Yeah, yeah, of course." Aaron said quickly, if still in a daze.  
"Wonderful!!!" Vic said, like a child on Christmas, "The solicitor says he should be able to get Robert's appeal up in the next two weeks, given the circumstances, then after that, he'll move onto the medical malpractice suit."   
"That's really amazing Vic, really! I need to get back...errr... Liv has got an exam she need help studying for" Aaron stood up to leave, "Keep me up to date with what's going on, I'd like to help in any way that I can." 

Aaron wasn't really sure how he got here. He was sitting in his car in their layby. In his and Robert's layby. He had found himself there sometimes when he needed to think, to process things. When he needed to sort things he once would have sorted through with Robert. It was dark out now, so he stayed in his car, the radio playing today's top 40 softly in the background.   
Robert lost a leg. He's in the hospital, lying in bed, with almost no one ever there to keep him company. Robert lost a leg, but he might get out almost 12 years early. Which means he might have let Robert divorce him for nothing. It had made sense when he wasn't going to be with Robert for at least 15 years, but 2? 2 years was a long time, but Aaron could've waited 2 fucking years for him. What kind of husband did that make him? He should've fought harder, he should've found out what prison Robert was transferred to and insisted on doing it in person, face to face. Robert never could've divorced him if he had to look him in the eyes while he did. What kind of husband did that make him? An ex-husband, unfortunately.


	7. the Verdict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert's sentencing hearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found some typos as I had been falling asleep last night when I wrote it. I also added a little bit because it was ended hastily and poorly as I was falling asleep.

The next morning was woken up by a phone call. It was already 8am, but he hadn't gotten home till late and he'd had too much on his mind to sleep very well. He'd dreamt he was was waiting for the tube and he saw Robert across the tracks from him. Only every time he cross the tracks, he'd be gone. Then Aaron would look up and se him on the other side again, waiting. It was Robert's solicitor who called. He had gotten a date set for Robert's sentencing appeal hearing and wanted to Aaron to come in so they could go over the details and clear up any questions. Aaron agreed hastily, just wanting to get off the phone.  
Two days later Aaron and Liv had dinner at the Woolpack. After dinner they both went through the bar to find Chas and Paddy, who were just getting Emma to bed.  
"Mum, Paddy, I have some...news I should probably fill you all in on" Aaron said once Chas and Paddy finally came downstairs.  
"Alright, alright, give us a minute!" Paddy said as they settled down at the table.  
"A few weeks ago, Robert got hurt. Vic insisted it wasn't serious and swore me to secrecy. But last Friday she had an update: Robert's broken leg had turned into an amputated one." At his point Chas had her hand covering her mouth in shock, Paddy had his hand on her back, and Liv's eyes were gleaming with the beginnings frightened tears, still far from falling. But no one interrupted; Aaron found it easier to deliver his speech to his hands, only glancing up to gage their reactions. "And Robert being Robert, spoke to a solicitor. The solicitor contacted me a few days ago and I've been to meet with him. Robert has a sentencing appeal hearing tomorrow morning, and I'm set to be a character witness. His solicitor thinks he has a good chance of reducing his sentence giving the circumstances."  
The others were silent for a few moments, waiting to make sure Aaron was finished.  
Paddy spoke first, "And how are you feeling about all this?"  
"I should be thrilled, but, somehow I just can't get my head around it"  
"Do you know what happened? How Robert got hurt? How it went bad so fast?" Liv asked, her voice small.  
"Vic didn't tell me much of the details, but it sounds like he broke his leg in a fight, and the wound got infected somehow. It sounds like the whole situation was handled pretty badly if Robert's lawyer thinks they might reduce his sentence."  
"Do you want us to go with you love? Are we allowed?" Chas asked.  
"No. No, its alright. It sounds like it'll be a lot smaller than his other hearings, just the people involved in the case."  
THE NEXT MORNING  
Aaron was wearing his suit, sitting outside the hearing room on a bench with Vic. She had been called in to testify at the beginning of the trial, but there were a few expert witnesses explaining the medical jargon between her testimony and Aaron's. He was the last to go.  
When Aaron finally entered the room, his eyes found Robert's. Sitting down, you couldn't tell there was anything wrong with him. Aaron said his piece, answered a few questions from each of the lawyers and then a few from the judge, and then he was dismissed. He and Vic waited an hour out in the hall on that bench. But then the door swung open, and the bailiff let them in for the results.  
Aaron could see the judges lips moving, but his voice was muffled by the pounding in Aaron's ears. He was reading from his notes, delivering the explanation for his decision first, so it would not be ignored after the decision. Aaron was finally able to focus on his voice as the judge said, "After careful deliberation, and in consideration of the appalling treatment received while under the care of the so called justice system, it is clear to me that the punishment Robert Sugden has received for his crimes, including but not limited to his time spent in isolation and his recent loss of limb, far exceeds the punishment proscribed for his actions. It is for these reasons that I sentence Robert Jacob Sugden to time already served. Robert Sugden, you are hereby released from custody." Aaron could hear the blood rushing through his body and the pounding of his heart in his ears. His eyes found Robert's across the room and for a moment it seemed to Aaron as if the world had stopped and it was just the two of them. But then Vic ran over to hug Robert and the world rushed back in. The lawyers were all mingling and talking to the judge, various people were offering congratulations to Robert. Diane had found her way to Robert and Vic and they were all listening to the lawyers. Aaron hung around for almost half an hour, trying to find a break in the happy chaos to congratulate Robert himself, but then a court clerk was ushering everyone out to get the room ready for the next hearing and Robert and Vic and Diane were following his lawyer to what could only have been a tremendous amount of paperwork. Aaron sent Vic a text: "Congratulations! I didn't want to interrupt, it looked like the lawyer needed you all for something. I'm headed back to the village." Aaron almost asked about their plans for the day, but he decided against it. He wasn't part of their family anymore, but his history with Robert did make things s little messy. The last thing Aaron wanted to do was intrude or be invited along out of a sense of obligation or politeness.


	8. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron blows off steam and wonders what things will be like with Robert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is really short, but I’m going to post another one tonight or tomorrow.

When Aaron got back to the village, he changed and went to the scrapyard. He managed to get a good start on a car that had just been acquired for scrap, but the whole time his mind was preoccupied with Robert.   
Aaron had known there was a good chance his sentence would’ve been reduced, but he had never even imagined Robert could have been released from the courthouse that same day. What was it the judge had said about isolation?   
The more Aaron thought about it, the more he wondered if the Robert who just got released would be anything like the Robert he married. Had he struggled with substances like Aaron had? Had he been bullied and harassed like Aaron? Had he joined in the bullying and harassment of others like Billy had? And how would this new disability affect him? Would he be able to cope? Or would he spiral into depression like Jackson had?   
And what did it say about Aaron that with all these other questions, all these other legitimate concerns, the questions Aaron wanted answered the most were “does Robert still love him? Will he want to get back together? Does he regret the divorce?”  
Aaron worked hard blowing off steam and distracting himself by busting apart scrap metal and disassembling a junk car with a crowbar, but he left work early that evening wanting to check in at the Woolpack. He’d fill in Liv and Chas and see if Robert and Vic were back in Emmerdale yet.


	9. Robert's Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert deals with paperwork and legalities after his Verdict. He gets a warm welcome at the Wolfpack.  
> Sorry this chapter is really short, I'm falling asleep again. I'll probably add onto this same chapter tomorrow
> 
> ;

As the judge read the verdict, Robert almost forgot how to breath. "...I sentence Robert Sugden to time served..." Robert's eyes found Aaron's, and for a moment the whole world melted away and it was just the two of them, husbands, as if nothing had ever come between them and no time had passed. But then Victoria was hugging him and his lawyer, Edmund, was congratulating him, and Diane had made her way over to join Vic. All of his witnesses, almost everyone in the small courtroom, everyone was congratulating him, patting him on the back or the shoulder or mussing his hair. Everyone except Aaron. Because time had passed; something had come between them.  
Soon they were all being ushered out of the room by a frazzled court clerk and Robert navigated slowly and awkwardly through the cramped courtroom, still not used to stealing a wheelchair.  
Edmund led them to an office and helped them sort through all the paperwork declaring him a free man. .  
"Alright, well that's about it. Uh--sometime this week you're going to have to stop by the prison to sign a few things and collect your stuff, but for now, you're good to go!" Edmund finally informed them.  
"Where to now Robert? Straight back home to Emmerdale, or maybe lunch out in town first?" Vic asked.  
"How about we get lunch in town and then go over to the prison to finish all the paperwork and everything so we cane be over and done with all this?"  
"Sound's perfect!" Diane said.  
They stopped for lunch at a pub in town. Diane had a drink in celebration, but Vic was driving and Robert was still on lots of medication for his leg. Afterwards, they made the long drive over to the prison Robert had been in and Robert was able to get everything sorted. His cell had already been cleaned out by the guards and all of his belongings--the clothes he had arrived in two years ago, a book, and a few photos--were stuffed hastily into a trash bag


	10. In the Woolpack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert returns to the Village, Aaron talks with Chas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a few paragraphs to the middle of this chapter on 10/14/2020 if you read this before then.

By the time Robert and Vic and Diane returned to Emmerdale, it was well past dinner time and they were famished. Their first stop in town was at the Woolpack for dinner. The pub wasn’t really designed very well for wheelchairs, so Robert left his outside and switched to crutches. It was much easier to navigate tight spaces on crutches, but it was still very awkward and tiring. Hanging above the bar was a "Welcome Home!" banner. Marlon brought out their favorites as Robert and Vic and Diane were being bombarded with questions about prison and the trial and his accident by patrons in varying degrees of intoxication. Robert's smile was big enough and laugh loud enough to convince the well wishers of confidence and ease. An onlooker could have mistaken the revelry for someone returned from vacation, not someone escaped from a life sentence. Caught up in the moment and wanting to get away from the endless stream of questions, Robert announced boisterously, "Next rounds on me!" to the delight of the pub. This seemed to do the trick and Robert was left alone long enough to eat. Victoria and Diane were partaking in the celebrations, but Robert was on a plethora of medications, most of which could not be mixed with alcohol, so he abstained.  
*** Sometime between Robert arriving and him buying the pub a round of drinks, Aaron slipped into the Woolpack. He had intended to say hello and congratulate Robert as he hadn't gotten a chance to after the verdict, but he was surrounded by people. Instead, Aaron decided to get a drink at the bar and wait until the crowd cleared a bit and there was an opening to talk to him without such an audience. After half an hour, Aaron began to get antsy. "You'd think he just won the World Cup the way everyone's fussing about him!" Aaron said to Chas, still looking over at Robert, his face starting to sour. "Oh you know how it is! Give it a week and they'll have moved onto the next village drama" Chas tried to reassure him, not sure what it was about the situation that was bothering her son. After almost 15 minutes of glancing over at him much too frequently to be subtle, Aaron succeeded in catching Roberts eye. He smiled at Robert but before he could give any gesture to indicate he wanted to talk--any gesture to indicate anything really--Robert smiled, dipped his head in acknowledgment of Aaron, and turned his attention back to the fuss surrounding him. Aaron's heart dropped inside his chest, and he actually had to take a second to breath. He kept trying to catch Robert's eye again, thinking it should be easier now that Robert knew he was in the pub, but the longer he tried, the more frustrated he got. At a certain point, Aaron decided Robert must be intentionally avoiding his gaze, so he stopped trying, the sinking feeling in his chest shifting from one of excitement and nervous anticipation to one of hurt and anger. "Look at him all smug--confident as ever!" Aaron said to his mum over his 3rd pint, "It's like he's not even surprised he got out so early!" Chas opened her mouth to respond, but Aaron continued, "He barely even knows any of that lot! He just likes the attention! Look! He's getting all chummy with Kerry--you don't know how many times he's complained about how annoying Kerry is!" Before Aaron could continue, Chas interrupted, "Look Mr., if you're not going to go talk to him, it's time for you to head home, there's no use in getting aggro over all this" Aaron made as if to argue, but Chas gave him a look and relented, exiting through the home behind the bar. *** After what felt like ages, the one person Robert wanted to see walked through the door. Robert tried not to look at Aaron for as long as he could, but after barely 20 minutes he couldn't help himself--he looked up. Everything felt as if it were moving at half speed. Robert looked up and found Aaron's face, but to his dismay, Aaron had a sour look on his face as he was talking to Chas. Robert's heart sunk in his chest; he thought his leg injury had been painful, but it was nothing compared to this. Of course Aaron was upset. Of course his testimony at the hearing this morning didn't mean anything about his feelings towards Robert. There was a big difference between loving someone and not hating them enough to want them to rot away in prison for 15 years. All of a sudden, Robert was remembering all the problems they had been having when he pled guilty, all of the mess he had left Aaron to deal with. The rose colored glasses he had remembered their relationship with during his time in prison all of a sudden fell away and he was left with the realization, that Aaron probably didn't feel the same about him anymore. When he noticed Robert looking at him, he gave a polite smile, bringing Robert out of his spiraling thoughts. Having been caught staring, Robert smiled, nodded, and averted his gaze, quickly extricating himself from the situation. The realization that Aaron's feelings were not the same as his was enough to keep him from bothering Aaron again that night. *** Towards the end of the night, Robert crutched over to the bar to settle the tab and get away from all the commotion for a moment.  
"Can I have the bill Chas?" Robert asked.  
"Coming right up" Robert was trying to gage Chas's feelings towards him, but he couldn't get a handle on them. She wasn't treating him like he was scum of the earth "Mr. Shady" like she had before he and Aaron made it official, but she wasn't treating him like she had when he was her son-in-law. It didn't help that they hadn't spoken in years. He had asked after Aaron and Chas and Liv and baby Emma whenever Vic or Diane came to visit, so he knew the broad strokes of life in Emmerdale while he was in prison, but he didn't know how much they had censored for one reason or another and he needed a subject to talk about while he and Chas were just standing there.  
"So how's baby Emma doing?"  
"She's doing wonderful! She's a little speedy-gonzales running around the house now! Here you go" Chas said, handing him the bill to look over.  
Robert gave her his card and signed the receipt she gave him.  
"Thanks for letting all this happen, Chas" Robert said, gesturing to the "Welcome home" sign and the people.  
"Oh this was all Vic and Marlon, I had nothing to do with it" Chase said, putting her hands up and shaking her head slightly.  
"I know--still its your pub and I know our history is quite complicated, so thanks for not making a big deal of it either way" Robert said, looking down at his hands for most of it.  
"Course love"  
Robert knew that Aaron was probably upset with him, he might not even want anything to do with him, but he still needed to be sure. "Err...do you have any advice on how I should approach Aaron? Do you know how he feel's about my being back?" Robert asked, looking up from his hands, "I mean--should I give him space, or do you think he'd want to talk to me?"  
"I really can't say, he's been in a bit of a shock all week"  
"Alright, thanks Chas"  
"Course."  
Robert didn't realize that Chas was still watching him when he turned, took a deep breath, and fixed a huge grin on his face as her returned to the revelry.  
Vic and Diane and Robert walked home to Vic's house as Vic and Diane were both drunk and Robert couldn't drive without a foot. Vic insisted on pushing his wheelchair home, and Robert didn’t protest as it seemed like she needed something to lean on for balance judging by the meandering path she took. When they got to Vic's place, Doug help Robert get settled in the guest room before he drove Diane home. Vic went right to sleep, but Robert lie in bed thinking for a long while despite his exhaustion.  
He couldn't believe it. He was lying in a bed that wasn't in a jail cell or a hospital room. He wasn't handcuffed to a railing or locked in. There was no one snoring in the bunk bellow him, no beeping or humming of medical equipment beside him. He pulled the covers up to his face and inhaled. They smelled like Vic's house. They smelled like home. Right as he was drifting off, Robert shocked himself awake when he remembered he hadn't taken his evening medications. He got out of bed and stumbled as quietly as he could around the house looking for his medications. He finally found them in Vic's purse. On his way back to the guest room Robert passed by Harry's room. He paused for a second, then gently opened the door, careful not to wake Harry. Robert looked down at his nephew, seeing him in person for the first time, his face lit by the nightlight in the corner and the light coming in through the open door.  
"Nice to meet you Harry, I'm your Uncle Robert" Robert whispered softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make Robert meeting Harry a cute scene cuz Harry was born after Robert went to prison, so he's never actually seen Harry in person before, but it came out kinda creepy. Idk how to make it less creepy, but just fyi it was meant to be sweet.


	11. Boxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert finds an excuse to talk to Aaron and gets his stuff back from the mill.

The next day Vic woke with a massive hangover. Robert was already up and hopping around the kitchen, making breakfast.  
"Oi-what're you trying to do? You'll hurt yourself!" Vic chastised once she noticed what was going on. He had woken up at 7:30 that morning, his body still accustomed to the prison schedule, and decided to try and make breakfast. He had missed cooking. He had put the kettle on no problem, getting the eggs to the counter with out breaking them had proved difficult, but after some careful maneuvering, he was able to scramble a few. When he wasn't moving about, it was easy enough to stand and lean on the one crutch, it was moving around in the small kitchen that was the problem. He needed his hands to use his crutches, but he also needed them to carry things. In the end Robert had settled on one crutch, and a very weird, hobbly, jumpy sort of walk so he could carry things in his other hand. That had worked well enough while everything was still cold, but now that everything was cooked, and therefore liable to burn him if he dropped it, he let Vic help.  
"I can cook just fine, its the carrying the food to the table that's got me worried," he said with a frown.  
"I got it, don't worry!" Vic said, doing her best to be cheerful in spite of the hangover.

Robert followed her clumsily to the table.  
"I have to go into work today, Marlon's not happy I have been missing so much work. He understands, of course, I just don't think I should push my luck!" Vic added, "How about you? Got any plans for the day?"  
"I haven't got any clothes except the one's I wore to court," Robert admitted, "I figure I should probably check and see if any of my stuff is still over at the mill before I go into Hutton to shop"  
"When do you want to go shopping? Can I tag along? We can make a day of it if you like!" Vic asked in her tired but still cheerful kind of way.  
"I was hoping you or Diane could take me, seeing as I can't drive an' all" Robert shrugged his shoulder. "My next day off is this Saturday, but if you need to go sooner you can ask Diane" *** Diane came by before Vic left for work to watch Harry. Robert caught up with her and played with Harry for a while. It was around noon when Robert got dressed--back into his court suit--and started over to the Woolpack for lunch. The lunch crowd was in, so Robert had a few curious villagers come and chat, obviously itching for some new gossip. Robert noticed as Aaron came in for lunch and chatted with Chas for a bit. When he saw that Aaron was finishing up, he went over to Aaron's table. "Hey, err.. good to see you again" Robert managed, cringing internally at his awkwardness "Yeah, with all the excitement I never got a chance to say congratulations!" Aaron said sincerely. "Thanks! I was planning on going into Hutton later to get some clothes and things and...well..." Aarons heart fluttered in his chest. Was Robert about to ask him out? Did he want him to? "...I was wondering if any of my stuff was still around? Its'-It's fine if you got rid of everything, I just don't want to be buying things I don't need" Robert finished, the words falling out in a rush at first, and then more slowly as he caught himself. Aaron shook his head, his brow furrowing in realization, "Yeah, of course you'd want your stuff," Aaron couldn't believe he had actually thought Robert had been asking him out, "I didn't get rid of any of it...I think it's just in boxes around the house. I can drop them by Vic's later tonight if you like?" "Yeah, that'd be great, thanks!" Robert smiled. He stood there for a second longer, leaning on his crutches, while they both just looked at each other, not expectantly, but not terribly awkwardly either. "Well, see you then!" "Cheers" Robert paid for lunch and went back to Vic's. He was pleased with how it went. Aaron had been perfectly nice, he didn't seem angry at Robert at all. Maybe he had looked too far into Aaron's sour expression the night before, or maybe it hadn't been directed at him. Even that brief interaction with Aaron had Robert's mood up in the clouds for the next few hours, only dampened when he began to get nervous about their next meeting. There was so much more he wanted to say to Aaron, so much he had chickened out of in the Woolpack. He began practicing what to say in his head, and under his breath at times, but none of it seemed right. What he wanted to say was "I love you" or "I missed you" or "Can we start again?" but Robert had lost the right to say any of those things to Aaron when he filed for divorce and stopped taking Aaron's calls and visits. Everything he came up with was either too long, or didn't even begin to capture the emotions and nuance he wanted them express. It didn't help that even when they were married Robert had had a hard time expressing himself to Aaron.

***  
Aaron was distracted all day after lunch.   
"I thought you'd be right chuffed now that Roberts back!" Ellis said to cranky Aaron, "You were heartbroken when he went down!"  
"Yeah, well, it's none of your business is it?" Aaron snapped, "So keep your nose out of it"  
***  
That evening, before dinner, Aaron came round with some boxes.   
"Thanks for this," Robert told Aaron, "I'd help you carry them all, but I'm dead useless right now." Robert gestured apologetically to where his foot had once been.   
"Yeah, I noticed," Aaron said with a single short laugh, "It's no problem at all. Where do you want them?"  
"I'm staying in the spare room for now, you can just drop them there"  
Robert lingered awkwardly, leaning on his crutches, watching as Aaron carried in the boxes one by one. After the fourth and final box, Aaron said, "Right, well, that's it. If you think of anything in particular that's not there, I can take a look around."  
"Yeah, thanks, err, while I have ya, I just wanted to say--I'm sorry. I know how we ended was my fault and I know I hurt you. So, I'm sorry, and I'll respect whatever distance or relationship you want between us."  
"So YoU drop us in it, and you're putting it on mE to fix it? Cheers mate," Aaron shook his head and turned to leave.  
"Hang on! I only meant that I don't know where we stand and I don't know where we go from here, so if you have a preference, I'll respect that!" Roberts said, getting defensive.  
"Robert, we're not husbands, we're not boyfriends, we're not even mates. There is no "us" to move on with, yOu made sure of that"  
"Course, yeah, thanks for testifying at my hearing and for bringing my stuff over," Robert said quickly, "See ya 'round." At that clear dismissal, Aaron left.  
When he got home to the mill Aaron sat in his car for a moment to think. Why had he said all that? Hadn't it just been that afternoon that Aaron had wanted Robert to ask him out? He had really thought he was over their divorce--he even thought he was excited to see Robert again. But the second Robert brought up the divorce, he saw red. The way he had placed the onus on Aaron to decide their whole future when it had been Robert who had destroyed it! And he had used his small, sincere apology voice, the one Aaron knew wasn't for show, wasn't meant to manipulate.   
Aaron decided to skip dinner and go for a run.


	12. Vic and Robert have lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert and Vic go shopping, Vic gives him advice, he acts on it.

That weekend Vic and Robert went into Hotten to shop. They were having trouble maneuvering both Robert's wheel chair and Harry's stroller, so they ended up just putting Harry on Robert's lap. Robert liked the time with his nephew and Harry didn't seem to mind much either way.  
They got Robert all of the cloth's he needed; Aaron had given him most of his old cloth's back, so Robert mostly just needed pants that fit comfortably with his residual leg and would work with a prosthesis.   
They also got Robert new toiletries and a nice pair of aviator sunglasses. When they finally stopped for lunch at a small cafe, Vic said, "Alright, what's wrong?"   
"What? Nothing's wrong" Robert added, "Apart from the obvious," gesturing to his foot.  
"Something's up Robert, something more than just you being worried about your health."  
Robert sighed, "Am I that obvious?" Vic just gave him a look that said "I know my big brother"  
"When Aaron came over the other day to drop off my stuff, I apologized for hurting him and said that how ever he wanted to play it, I'd follow his lead."  
"And?"  
"And he flipped out, he said I had been the one to ruin our future and it wasn't fair to make him decide what our new future looked like. And then he said we're not husbands, we're not boyfriends, we're not mates, that there's nothing left between us to even fix!"  
"And what'd you say?"   
"I just thanked him for dropping my stuff off and he left. We were perfectly amicable at the pub and even when he was taking the boxes in--a little awkward maybe, but fine---and then I apologized and he got all mad."  
"That is quite a lot to cover with one 'I'm sorry,'" Vic conceded.   
"Well, I wasn't about to write him a soliloquy! I just wanted to know if he thought we were worth talking it through or if he just wanted me to steer clear!"  
"I suppose it's not a common situation to be in," Vic conceded on the other hand, "What are you going to do?"  
"Well, it sounds like he doesn't want anything to do with me and I said I'd respect that, so I guess I'll just have to try and leave him be"   
"Hang on! It sounds to me like he just didn't want to take the lead," Vic pointed out, "So mAybe, you take the lead and see if he goes along with it."  
Robert seemed to consider that for a few moments  
"So, what do yOu want your relationship with Aaron to be?" Vic asked.  
Robert stalled for a few moments by playing with his adorable nephew.  
"I'm not sure, I guess I just want him in my life, in as big a role as he wants to take. If he doesn't want to get back together, that's fine, but I don't know how much longer I can take not having him in my life."  
"So tell him"


	13. Mates?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liv catches Robert at the pub

Robert thought he would give Vic's advice a try, so he went to the one place he both had an excuse to go and was sure Aaron would turn up eventually--the Woolie. Aaron didn't turn up the first day Robert was there. and he spent the whole day there, or the second. The third day though, Robert had a visitor. It was not the person he had been hoping for, but it still made his day.   
"You know I've seen you around town a few times, and this is the third day in a row I've seen you in the pub without you saying hello. I worried you might be avoiding me, and then I remembered I didn't care!" Liv said, sliding into the booth next to him.  
"Liv! It's wonderful to see you! I'm sorry I didn't say hello sooner, I've had a lot on my mind and...I..." Robert trailed off, not sure how to explain.  
"Though I'd be giving you the cold shoulder just cuz Aaron is?" Liv finished for him.  
"Something like that, I guess. You always have his back, so I kinda just assumed you wouldn't want to deal with me until he and I made good" Robert explained.  
"Sometimes having Aaron's back means hating the people he hates. Other times it means recognizing he's being an idiot" Liv put extra emphasis on the word "idiot," "and helping him overcome his stupidity. This is one of those other times." Liv said with her signature "you know I'm right" squinty faces.  
"So what's your big plan then?" Robert inquired.  
"You know what you're going to say to him?"   
"More or less"  
"Well that wont do will it?"   
For the next few minute he and Liv brainstormed what Robert should say to Aaron. When they finally got it down to the perfect phrasing and tone of delivery, Liv said, "Perfect! Tomorrow, around 7pm I'll make sure Aaron and I are eating here. Chas will ask for my help for a minute at sometime during or after dinner. That's when you'll make your move"  
"Thanks Liv, you don't know how much this means to me" Robert said.   
A little surprised by Robert's sincerity, Liv answers with, "well you can show me by buying me a bag of crisps and an orange juice while we catch up!"  
Robert obliged and Liv filled him in on some of the village drama from the past two years. She also inquired about his time in prison, but he was less forthcoming, choosing only to tell her a few of the funnier stories he could remember, and twisting the details a bit to make them more agreeable to polite company. She filled him in on her seizure disorder when he asked about it. She had just had the one seizure before they lost contact and still hadn't gotten a formal diagnoses. In the years since, she had had three more seizures of varying severity. The doctors never identified the causes or trigger, but she was on medication and had gotten a bracelet with her information on it just in case. Liv and Robert talked for almost an hour before he excused himself to go get some rest, he was exhausted from the day out and his leg was starting to bother him, the pain and exhaustion making him slightly dizzy. When he stood up, Liv hugged him goodbye, catching as he lost his balance from the dizziness.   
"Woah, are you alright? Are you sure you can make it back to Vic's on crutches?" Liv asked, worried.  
"I'll be fine, it just takes a while to pass," Robert tried to reassure her.   
"I can run over to Vic's and grab your wheel chair, it's not far" Live offered.  
"Don't trouble yourself, I'll be fine in a second," Robert said unconvincingly.  
"I'll be right back!" Liv said, hurrying out.  
"No, Liv! It's fine!" Robert finished to himself as the pub doors swung shut.  
Liv found his chair no problem and pushed him across the street to Vic's.


	14. 7pm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert talks to Aaron. Robert gets an update on the malpractice suit from his lawyers.

Robert spent the whole of the next day waiting for 7pm to come round. Since he'd gotten out, he'd been helping look after Harry while Diane and Vic were busy, so at least he had Harry to distract him. They played and Robert fed him when he was supposed to. When Harry took his nap, Robert sorted through some paperwork for his lawyer. As part of his mal-practice suit, Robert's lawyer had requested Robert get all of the medical records from the time he broke his leg in the fight up to present day. He was going to meet with his lawyer tomorrow afternoon to give him the records and go over the case so far.   
After checking his watch all afternoon, Diane finally came to pick up Harry, and Robert got ready to go to the Woolpack. It took him much longer to get ready on crutches, but even so, he spent much longer than usual picking his outfit and making his hair just so. By 5:30, Robert couldn't fuss around the house any longer: he gave in and crutched over to the Woolie.   
Robert ordered a pint and some crisps and sat down to wait.   
At 7:05, Liv and Aaron came ambling into the pub. Just as promised, shortly after they ordered Chas went over, said a few words, and Liv followed her into the back. Robert got up, made his way over, and sat down in Liv's empty seat, his hand resting on his crutches, keeping them upright.   
Before he could lose his nerve, Robert asked, "Do you want to get a beer sometime?"   
"What?" Aaron asked, making his classic confused expression.  
"Or a coffee or something?"  
"What are you on about?" Aaron asked, still confused  
Robert knew he had already completely botched the script he and Liv had come up with yesterday, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember a word of it. Not with those blue eyes looking at him. So Robert just went off what he and Vic had discussed the other day in Hotten.  
"The other day, when I said I'd follow your lead, it seemed like you were upset because I was making you make the decisions. Because I wasn't showing a preference either way." Robert wasn't sure if he was making any sense, but he kept going anyways, the words stumbling out of him, "Well, I do have a preference. I want you to be in my life. And I know we can't just go back to how things were, but we can have a beer. Or a coffee."   
Aaron gave it a few moments thought, Robert waiting expectantly.   
"Yeah, alright." Aaron said finally, "How about tomorrow after work. Here. 6:30"  
"Fantastic. Yeah. Sounds great!" Robert said.  
They both sat there for a moment, saying nothing. It wasn't quite awkward, but it wasn't a comfortable silence either.   
They were brought out of it by the sound of Liv approaching.  
"See you then!" Robert said as he got up and left.  
******************************  
He and Vic were sitting in his lawyer's nice office. She had driven them both there and he had given his lawyer, Bill Peters, all of the medical records he had requested, which he was glancing through now.   
"There's a lot here" he said finally.  
"How's it looking?" Robert asked, "Where do we go from here?"  
"These records help immensely. I'm going to a doctor of our own, so he can make sense of all the medical jargon and better tell us what exactly these say. Then we're going to need you to get a check up with some of our doctors so we have an assessment we trust"  
"Then it goes to court?" Vic asked.  
"Then we talk to their lawyers. We have a pretty solid case here, it's likely they'll want to settle"  
"Settle? Like a payoff?" Robert asked. "And he'll get off, he won't be punished?" Vic added.  
"All settlements are negotiated, we can include revoking the doctor's license as one of our demands. And a considerable amount of money."  
"What's the timeline for all this?"  
"Well, if we get you that appointment this week, we should be able to begin negotiations by the next friday.


	15. 6:30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert is anxious about talking to Aaron again.  
> Robert and Aaron have a pint.

That night, Robert could barely sleep. It's not like he had been sleeping very well since he got out anyways, the bed was too soft and big and warm and the room too quiet. The window in his room at Vic's was three times the size of the one in his cell and let in too much light. He had tried the blackout curtains, but they made the darkness too complete and stifling. He wasn't afraid of the dark, its just that he had gotten used to the constant visibility of incomplete darkness, and now it made him anxious to not see what was right in front of him. The peaceful silence of the house became unsettling when paired with the perfect darkness; when he was in both for too long, Robert's mind spiraled into a panic, convincing him that nothing could be this silent or this dark, that he was actually going blind and deaf as well as crippled .  
But now that he had tomorrow evening to look forward to, his insomnia was caused by nervous excitement.  
Instead of counting sheep, Robert decided to make a mental list of topics to talk about if conversation began to lag. He went through all his funny prison stories and searched them for any details that might make them inappropriate or awkward. He thought of questions to ask Aaron, about village gossip, Liv and Chas and Paddy. Robert decided not to ask after the scrapyard or the Mill because they were too closely tied to their Affair and marriage, and Robert was still unsure of where they stood on that. He also thought of a few different ways to change the topic if the conversation got around to things he didn't want to get into just yet (if ever). He thought of ways to downplay or transition away from COVID-19 in prison, his leg (or lack thereof), the extent of the evidence that got his sentence reduced so drastically, and Lee.

Robert woke from his restless sleep at 7:00, like he had everyday for the past 3 years. He had breakfast with Vic and Diane and fed Harry. When he told Diane he couldn't watch Harry after 6:00 that evening, she and Vic both made intrigued faces.  
"ooOOoo," Vic wiggled her eyebrows, "You're seeing Aaron tonight aren't you?"  
"As it happens, I am" Robert said with a pointed look.  
"Can't wait to hear how it goes!" Diane said.

Robert spent the day playing with Harry, watching tele and counting down the minutes to 6:30.  
When Diane finally came to look after Harry around 5:45, Robert was anxious to start getting ready. He spent longer than he'd care to admit finding an outfit that made him look fit, but wasn't too formal. It was actually pretty difficult to find an outfit that was flattering on him (in Roberts own opinion) as he had lost a bit of weight and a lot of muscle since being hospitalized. It also didn't help that he was extra self-conscious since then, though he wouldn't admit it, and had been lacking his usual effortless charm lately. 

Robert ended up being about 5 minutes late, which he blamed on his obvious mobility limitations. Aaron waved him off and they ordered beers. They spoke for almost an hour with only a few awkward silences. And only one interruption from Chas (an obvious attempt to see what was going on). Robert only had to steer the conversation away from one topic--how exactly he got out so early--and he used one of his pre-planned methods. He made a joke about being Mr. Shifty and always being able to weasel his way out of tight spots before turning the conversation back to Aaron.

That night, as Robert lay in bed, it was analyzing his conversation with Aaron that kept him awake instead of the usual vague uneasiness and memories of prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. It's kinda short cuz I lost steam like halfway through :/.


End file.
